Self Conclusion
by allie.and.gabana
Summary: AU, HHr. Fade in, start the scene, enter beautiful girl. But things are not what they seem as we stand at the edge of the world...


**A/N:** This is based off the song "Self Conclusion" by The Spill Canvas. I was half asleep with my iPod on shuffle when they came on, and I got inspired. It's very AU, you were warned. Harry and Hermione both went to Hogwarts, but Hermione was sorted into Ravenclaw, and therefore they never really met. Hermione is very good friends with Luna, and in turn becomes a friend to Ron, but has never met Harry before… I think that covers everything. I used lyrics directly from the song as part of Harry's and Hermione's dialog, and it's in italics

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter, etc. I also don't own the song "Self Conclusion."

"_We all flirt with the tiniest notion of self conclusion in one simplified motion…"_

Harry Potter was a well respected man in the Wizarding World. He was the "Boy-Who-Lived", the "Man-Who-Conquered", Witch's Weekly's Best Smile and "Number 1 Desirable", playing on the name Umbridge bestowed on him during his seventh year. All these names he took in stride. He wasn't terribly boastful as some people, such as Malfoy, were, but he wasn't exactly what you would call modest either.

He was celebrating being made Head of the Auror Department, the youngest one at that. At the tender age of 25, he was commanding experienced men and women, some of which were twice his senor. But there was on thing missing, and that was Ginny Weasley. She was his girlfriend of four years. They should've gotten back together right after the war, but Harry had gone away for four years to complete his Auror training fresh out of the war. When he arrived home from America (the training took them to four different countries: a new one every year), he sought Ginny out right away, and kissed her in front of her whole family. They were "officially" back together on that day. Then… tragedy occurred.

Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Luna (recently made Ron's fiancé) had gone out to dinner where Harry had planned to propose to Ginny. Just as her was going to pull out the small box, Deatheaters that had eluded being arrested attacked the restaurant. The four immediately sprang into action, shooting spells back at the wizards in black robes and white masks. As all of them were finally rounded up, Bellatrix burst in sending an Avada Kevada at Harry's back. Ginny, seeing this, jumped in front of her boyfriend, saving his life and ending hers. By the time Harry had turned around, Ginny was already laying on the floor, her eyes still open, and her face set in a determined expression. After gently closing her eyes, and giving her a final goodbye kiss, Harry ran after Bellatrix who was running through the streets singing, "I killed Baby Potter's girlfriend!" It was eerily reminiscent of the night Sirius fell through the veil. In an angry daze, Harry aimed his wand at Bellatrix and shouted "Reduto!"

There was blood spatter everywhere, and a body falling without its head..

Harry shook himself out of such thoughts as he entered the Great Hall, where McGonagall had agreed to let the party be thrown. Straight away, Harry saw a glimmer of gold across the room. He blinked to refocus his eyes, and it was gone, as quick as a Snitch flies away in a Quidditch game. It continued on for the next hour, reappearing and disappearing as soon as it came with a flash of gold. What he didn't know was that he would soon capture this Snitch..

"Hello Harry," a dreamy voice called from behind him.

Harry turned around to see a pair of large, blue eyes staring up at him. He exclaimed, "Luna!" and took her into his arms to give her a big hug.

"Oi! Mate you better not be moving in on my girl!" Ron called, walking towards them.

"Me? Never," Harry said with a devilish grin. Moving his gaze towards Luna again, he saw the flash of gold again, but this time it did not instantaneously disappear.

A woman with thick, uncontrollable curly brown hair and chocolate brown eyes stood before him. She had a clear complexion with a few freckles dotting the bridge of her nose and cheeks, unnoticeable unless you were really studying her. She had a fair skin tone, not as light as Luna, but not as dark as, let's say, the Patil twins. This woman was wearing a gold gown that shimmered in the light as she moved about, and had a slight train on the back. It was a halter top with a modest neckline, but had no back, which left her well defined back bare, and very inviting to touch. Harry thought he must have stopped breathing, as no girl since Ginny could leave him this breathless and lightheaded.

Harry saw the Gold Woman give Luna and Ron a hug, and leave out one of the small doors that lead outside. As soon as Harry regained control of his vocal cords, he demanded, "Who was that?!"

"Oh, that's Hermione Granger," Luna explained merrily. "She works with me in the Department of Mysteries. She was in Ravenclaw with me, your year though."

"Thanks Luna," he muttered after several moments of staring at the small door, and ran off.

"Mental, that one," Ron said through a mouth full of mashed potatoes.

"No… just in love," Luna chirped. "And don't speak with your mouth full, Ronald."

"Sorry, love," Ron said, after he had swallowed everything. "But, honestly, in love? They just met each other."

"They may not know it yet… but they will be."

Outside, Harry could see glimmering on one of the hilltops beyond the Black Lake.

'Damn, she's fast,' he thought.

As he approached her, she turned around, hair wind blown already. Hermione had turned around too fast; she tottered dangerously on the edge of the cliff. She looked at him, trying to place where she had seen him before, before remembering him from the Great Hall.

She screamed, "_Excuse me sir, but I have plans to die tonight, and you are directly in my way and I bet you're gonna say it's not right._" Her voice sounded calm, but there was an edge to it, as if she was challenging him to say she was wrong.

Harry shot her a dirty look. Who does she this she? Bitterly, he shouted back his reply over the wind, "_Excuse me miss, but do you have the slightest clue of exactly what you just said to me, and exactly who you're talking too?_"

The air seemed to flow out of her as the wind calmed, but as thunder shook the skies, she seemed to come defiant once again. She said, her voice cold and indifferent, "_I don't care you don't even know me!_"

Rushing a few steps towards the woman in gold, he explained, "_I know, but I'd like to change that soon hopefully…_"

Hermione gave him a questioning look, and took two small steps toward him.

"_We all flirt with the tiniest notion of self conclusion in one simplified motion. You see,_" he continued. "_the trick is that you're never supposed to act on it, no matter how unbearable this misery gets._"

Hermione's shoulders slumped, and she took a couple more small steps towards him. "_You make it seem so easy to be alive… but how am I supposed to seize this day when everything inside of me has died?_"

**Flashback**

Hermione was laughing and joking with her family, her fiancée, Terry Boot, and his family. They were situated around Hermione's living room on various articles of furniture. Hermione was snuggled under Terry's arm, their hands intertwined on her just rounded belly.

"How's the baby, Hermione?" Mrs. Boot questioned.

"Oh he's great," Hermione gushed, her face glowing.

"And how do you know…" Mrs. Granger trailed off as they heard a loud crash outside.

"Hermione, go somewhere and hide," Terry muttered. "Take your parents and mine."

"No, but Terry!" Hermione protested. "I want to stay with you!"

"I love you, and I love our baby, and I love our families more than anything," Terry said quickly. "I want to protect all of you… Now please, just go!"

Hermione gave him a final kiss, and managed to grab on to the four Muggles. She focused on Diagon Alley, but found that she could never Apparate.

"Please," she whispered. "Know that I love all of you, and find somewhere to hide. Quickly now."

The five split up and ran in different directions. Hermione ran to the bathroom, locking the door even though she knew it was useless, and sat in the very corner of her bathtub. She heard the struggle beyond the little room, and hugged her knees to her chest, crying silent sobs. Minutes passed and the only thing she heard was silence. She raised her head, hardly daring to breathe. Then she heard what she dreading most: the yells of terror from her and Terry's parents as the Deatheaters found their hiding spots. She wanted to run out and save them, but she knew that was impossible. She quietly placed the strongest locking spell she knew on the door, and waited in terror, hoping that they did not think to check the bathroom.

"Where's the fiancé of this guy?" She heard a grisly voice yell.

"I don't know! She should be here," shouted back a second voice. "Just check every room!"

Hermione started to breathing very heard. They would immediately know that she was in here when they encountered the locked door.

'Where are the Aurors?!' she thought furiously. 'I don't pay tons of galleons a month for their security system to just die!'

"I think I found the little witch!" laughed Voice Number Two. "Put a tricky locking spell on the door, though."

By now Hermione was standing with her wand in front of her, backed up to the corner.

"Oh, just blast the door open, you idiot!" called Voice Number One.

The last thing Hermione remembered before passing out was an intense pain in her lower stomach and someone shouting, "We have you surrounded!"

Hermione awoke days later as a Healer was running diagnostic spells on her.

"Oh! Miss Granger, you're awake," the Healer said, startled.

"Where am I?" Hermione asked groggily. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, and stretching to get the soreness of being the in the same position for days out of her body.

"You're at St. Mungos, dear," said the Healer.

Everything came rushing back to her, leaving her feeling like she was hit by a bus of depression. "Where is Terry? His parents? MY parents?!"

The older Healer looked suddenly uncomfortable.

"Well?!" Hermione demanded. "I can handle it, just tell me! How bad is it?"

"The Deatheaters murdered them all when they entered your flat," the Healer (identified as Healer Griffis by the name tag on her green robes) said as gently as someone could when delivering the news of death. "It's a miracle you aren't dead. Just a few inches higher…"

A thought struck Hermione. "My baby?"

The look Healer Griffis had on her face said everything. Hermione began to sobs, her body trembling with the intensity of the sobs. Healer Griffis came closer and laid a hand on the young girl's shoulder, but Hermione shook her off.

"Please," Hermione managed to say. "I just want to be alone."

Healer Griffis gave a sad look, nodded, and walked out of the room. As soon as Hermione heard the lock clock, she let out louder sobs, mourning the loss of everyone that was most important to her.

**End Flashback  
**

"_Trust me girl, I know your legs are pleading to leap, but let me offer you this easy choice: instead of jumping, living with me,_" Harry said, his voice betrayed the lack of confidence he had.

"_Are you crazy? You don't even know me,_" Hermione laughed, a bitter and harsh sound thing.

Harry just repeated what he had said before, "_I know, I'd like to change that soon hopefully._"

Silence overcame the two of them. All you could hear was the howling wind and the thunderous booms of thunder. It was obvious that a thunderstorm was quickly approaching.

Finally, Harry broke the silence. "_I would be lying if I said that things would never get rough. And all this cliché motivation? It could never be enough. I could stand here all night, trying to convince you, but what good would that do? My offer stands, and you must choose._"

Another silence ensued. Hermione looked at him, seemingly sizing him up. Harry became more and more nervous as the minutes ticked away. What was he doing? Here he was, extending a woman he hardly knew an invitation of help, when he could hardly help himself nowadays. How on earth was he supposed to help her with problems he knew nothing about? He started fidgeting; he started straightening his tie, smoothing out invisible wrinkles in his robes, running his hand through his hair and smoothing it down (and failing miserably, of course).

After what seemed like a lifetime, Hermione spoke. "_Alright, you win, but I only give you one night to prove yourself better at my attempt at flight. I swear to God if you hurt me,_" she threatened. "_I will leave. I will toss myself from these very cliffs, and you will never see it coming!_"

"_Settle, precious,_" Harry said soothingly. "_I know what you're going through. Just ten minutes before you got here, I was going to jump too._"

There was noticeable and unhidden surprise and disbelief displayed on Hermione's face.

"Yes," Harry nodded. "You aren't the only one who has lost someone the loved… aren't the only one who has thought of jumping and ending their life." Harry launched into the story of his life, something he had never told anyone, but was telling this woman who didn't seem like a stranger anymore. "Of course you know the story of how my parents died when I was one, but what you don't know is that my godfather, my father's best friend, died also trying to save my life. Then, Dumbledore died, leaving me the horrible task of killing Voldemort. After that, my last link to my parents' past died, along with his life. They left their child parentless at the age of one, just like me. And we can't forget the countless other who died for me in the war again Voldemort (Harry then noticed that Hermione did not flinch when he said the name, as many others still did). The final one was Ginny; my girlfriend, and my first love."

"What made you not jump?" Hermione whispered her voice shaky.

"Teddy," Harry said. "The child who was orphaned. His grandmother is older now… he's beginning to get too much for her. She doesn't admit it of course, but I can tell that she's getting more and more weary everyday… I'm his godfather, and I just don't' want him to grow up without someone who truly loves him. I don't want him to grow up like I had too."

The next thing Harry knew, Hermione had flung herself at him, and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Oh, Harry," she cried. "Teddy is so lucky to have you in his life."

"No," Harry disagreed, wrapping his arms around her. He got a rush as his hands touched the bare skin of the small of her back, but pushed it aside, knowing that he shouldn't be having thoughts like that now. "I'm the one who's lucky to have him.

Hermione untangled herself from Harry's arms, feeling a sense of loss of being out of his arms. "C'mon Harry, we should get back inside before someone start worrying." She smiled. "This party is in your honor after all."

She offered him a hand, and he took it. He didn't know it then, but he could feel that this woman was going to become an important person in his life, if not the most important.

"...you see, the trick is that you're never supposed to act on it, no matter how unbearable this misery gets"


End file.
